Portland Observer NOVEMBER 22, 1989 Page 5
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Ar
ENTERTAINMENT
roadway bountx
B R
E P O R TU
clearly outlines a fairly broad panoram a of
that pul up the 46 million which insured the -
the pathology of A frican-Am erican people
making of this outrageously advanced black
“ D O T H E R IG H T T H IN G ,” AND SEE
and gives us some insight into the European
film, announced that the field reports are that
S P IK E L E E ’S H O T N EW F IL M !”
(Italian-American) psychic, as it pertains to
Alright, m ovie fans, do yourself a favor, the film was a strong m agnet in African-
their working among black neighborhoods.
American, while and racially mixed neigh
as actor, O ssie Davis (he plays “ De Mayor' ’
“ Sal’s Famous Pizzeria is one o f the most
in the film), says “ Do The right Thing' ’ and borhoods.
vibrant business in the comm unity. We also
In three days on some 49 screens in "th e
get off your "couch-potato-behind-the-times-
see a Korean couple operate a vegetable &
Big A pple’ ’ territory, its cash flow averaged
self,” and go see Spike Lee’s "co o k in ' &
fruit stand, which is very truc-to-life in New
$13,714 per theatre (now that’s serious money
write on,” new flick, “ Do The Right Thing.”
York today. It points out the economical
for a black film o f the un-Hollywood-type).
while it's still in town!
slavery as a serious problem in the African-
This is mind-blowing m usic to Ned Tannen
It is currently playing at the Clinton
American community. A Puerto Rican brother
U niversal’s financial ear (I only wish a
Theatre in Portland. If you saw Spike L ee’s
has a homemade mobile ices stand just like
company from our comm unity was doing it
two other pow erful films, "sh e Gotta Have
it is throughout the city, but not a single black
and counting the money). It insures the land
It' and ‘ ‘ School D a z e ’ you can call yourself
business is featured or appears to e x ist Lee
mark new film and its hot young actor/
a “ together and dead-on-it-type” m ovie
does not glorify the sickness o f the ’70s. He
director/producer and his team of young
goer, film afficionado, and will have som e
just “ lays it out there for us to observe (dig
moviemakers, big success in a “ cold-blooded”
thing to tell your grand kids about. “ Ya
it!).
American film industry and distribution
m on,” just how “ coo l” you were in the
The ‘ ‘G reek chorus ’' (a group of charac
market.
a- -end” o f the eighties!
ter actors comm enting on the major action)
Howsomever,
people
like
New
York
IN O T H E R C IT IE S T H E A T R E G O E R S
of the m ovie, displays a line o f "b rothers,”
columnist, Joe K lein’s “ w rite hand really
DID “ T H E R IG H T T H IN G ”
broken and disillusioned, like I have seen for
got
caught
out
on
a
bias
limb.
He
is
quoted
in
In New York, the Black press has been
years in Harlem, Brooklyn and all over New
his
column;
“
the
film
is
irresponsible
and
shouting about the fact that inspite o f para
York. The older brothers, such as “ De Mayor,”
could
ignite
violence
and
could
lead
to
(check
graphs of prior warnings from some white
played by my dear friend O ssie Davis, is a
this
out)
the
defeat
o
f
New
York
mayoral
critics, Spike L ee’s brilliant and thought-
near-homeless old wino-head, but his is “ rich”
candidate, the current black NY Borough
provoking new film, “ Do The Right Thing,”
in character, like “ the old black m an” in the
president
of
Manhattan,
my
old
friend,
David
did not inspire instant street riots (some silly
famous film, Black O rpheus." Other older
press people are so “ tired” and behind the Dinkins. W ell, eat ya heart out, Joe, because
m en, who should represent wisdom and a
it didn’t cause any rioting, ju st lines of
“ T im es").
foundation for the com m unity, sit on the
The Universal Studio release, opened in interested black, Hispanic, white, young and
com er, just as we have seen for years, talking
old
moviegoers.
And
now
David
Kinkins
is
New York and in other cities without an
“ crap” and " B S ," about women and feel-
exchange of any “ bad mouth” or dirty stares. m ayor of New York, Doug W ilder is G over
ing-literally their penises, the only part of
nor-elect
o
f
V
irginia,
Mr.
Rice
is
mayor-
In its initial three days outing on 353 screens,
their m anhood that has n o t been “ ripped
its cash intake reached $3.5 million. U niver elect o f Seattle and New Haven, Conn, has a
off! ’ ’ Hollywood could never have made this
sal Studio (and I know Ned Tannen years ago new black mayor! Poor Joe, how wrong can
film. So I know why “ the french cinema
you
be
and
stay
in
the
new
spaper
business!
in H ollyw ood, 1967, who is now president of
cro w d " at theC annes Film Festival had their
In
“
Do
The
Right
T
hing,”
Spike
Lee
the Studio; is very pleased), the company
by Garland L e t Thompson
Youssou N ’Dour Expresses
is Polyrhythmis Sounds
Youssou N ’D our has emerged as an
essential figure in pancultural world music.
His breathtaking voice and innovative, bluesy
style have captivated audiences around the
globe, most recently during Amnesty Inter
national’s wildly successful ‘ ‘Human Rights
N ow !” tour. N ow, Youssou takes another
step into the future with “ the Lion,” his
brilliant new Virgin album featuring “ Shakin’
the T ree," a duet with Peter Gabriel.
Youssou N ’Dour (pronounced YOU-sue
en-D U R E )-w ho turns thirty this y e a r-is by
far the most popular m usical star in Senegal,
Africa, his native land. He was bom into a
very musical family—his mother was a griot,
or an esteemed traditional singer/storyteller.
From his early teens, Youssou performed in
public at various religious and social cermo-
nies, where m usic functioned not only as
entertainment, but as a powerful force of
unity and history, too.
In 1976, Y oussou was performing in
D akar’s hottest nightclubs with the city ’s
prem iere band, the Star Band. Inspired by
traditional African (and, specifically, S ene
galese) m u sic -a s well as Cuban and Am eri
can popular m usic—Youssou and the Star
Band attained great popularity quickly, but,
Youssou felt he need to step out on his own.
He invited six m em bers of the Star Band with
him, and, recruiting six other musicians, he
formed the Etoile de Dakar, which matured
into today’s Super Etoile de Daker.
W ith Super Etoile de Dakar, Youssou
has vaulted to international stardom and
acclaim, first building up a very loyal fol
lowing in Senegal, then reaching beyond to
the rest of Africa, Europe, North America,
and even Asia. Interestingly, Youssou has
just recorded a num ber o f songs with Japa
nese superstar Ryuichi Sakamoto for his
Virgin debut album, which is tentatively set
for release this Fall.
It was during Y oussou's first trip to
Paris that he was struck by the number o f his
fellow Africans who had immigrated from
their homeland. This inspired the song
“ Im m igres,” the title track from the album
w hich was originally released in Europe in
1984, V irgin's Earthworks label issued
"Im m ig res” last Fall here in the United
Behind-The-Scenes
by Lisa Collins
minds “ blown away” by this important black
film statement o f A frican-Am erican art,
rhythm and form. Like jazz, it is unique and
indigeous in its total scope.
When a young black brother called,
"B uggin O ut.” (a fine young actor who has
worked with Spike Lee in “ School Daze,
and he has worked at the NY Negro E n
semble Com pany, Juancarlos Espinsito),
complains that “ Sal, the Italian owner pizza
parlor," doesn’t have any of African heroes
on his all-Italian "W all o f Fam e.” ’ ‘Buggin
O ut” “ freaks out,” and threatens to lead a
boycott against the place. He becomes the
militant in the movie. He is the catalyst for
the anger and the need to self-actualization
in the frustration of the black community,
but is not to be taken seriously because by his
very name, h e ’s a psycho, someone to be
held up to ridicule, until the fateful moment
of truth when the “ real deal goes dow n” in
the climax of the film. I’ll let you go see it to
dig this heavy piece of business of Spike’s
film. Write on.
In the absence of strong role models, the
young brothers, like the character, “ Radio
Raheem,” hides from reality by blasting
their "g h etto boxes,” as we have all seen
and heard in our black com m unities from
one end of this country to the other. A major
point in the film is that the film m aker plays
a major role, “ M ookie,” the pizza delivery-
man at the pizza shop, and the pathology of
the black comm unity is thoroughly seen
when “ Sal, the w hite ow ner,” makes passes
at “ M ookie's” sister. This can be seen as a
metaphor for the famous “ Tawana Brawley
case” (The young black girl, who accused a
group of white men of raping her in upstate
New York). There are so many other little
subtle shadings and ‘ ‘colors’ ’ in this piece of
fresh new work that I just have to say, “ Do
The Right T hing," check it out! W rite on.
Spike Lee and your "F o rty Acres and a
M ule" Company. (Plays the Cinem a 21,
Dec. 5 & 6, 1989)
Update; See “ M aking Do The Right
Thing,” by St. C lair Bourne & Spike Lee’s
first film, “ Jo e’s Bed-Stuy Barber Shop, We
C ut Heads, at the Cinem a 21, Dec. 3 & 4,
1989, Sunday & Monday.)
C o m ed ian -acto r/film m ak er R obert
T ow nsend’s releasing a new album , but it s
not anything you’d expect. Why? W ell, he s
singing for one thing. The other is the m ate
rial itself. The first cut from the album,
scheduled for a January release, is a C hrist
mas song (due out from Atlantic Records
next month). Said Townsend: " I always get
cheap gifts, and I wanted to m ake a song
about not getting cheap gifts, so it’s m y
revenge song. ’ ’ Other selections run the gamut
from “ Safe S ex” to a love song to a very
special lady in his life. Meanwhile, Townsend
is slated to begin filming on his next film this
month. The film, entitled ‘ ‘The H eartbeats”
is set in 1965 and centers around a singing
group like “ The D ells.” In it, Tow nsend
plays a songwriter. M eanwhile, pal A rsenio
H all’s (alias rapper “ Chunky A ” ) m usic
comedy LP, “ Large And (n C harge” is due
later this month.
S h o rt Takes: W hoopi G oldberg is tired
of all the press regarding the pregnancy o f
her 15-year old daughter, Alexandria. H ow
ever, fact is Alexandria is due to make G old
berg a grandm other very soon . . . Danny
Glover has got to be the busiest black actor in
Hollywood. The actor just took off to Hawaii
to start filming “ Flight O f The Intruder
with Brad Johnson . . . N ext W eek: E ddie
M u rp h y releases his latest film -H a rle m
o u t."
I t ’s “ No C o m m en t” F o r D iana Ross:
Now that Randy Taraborelli’s new Diana
Ross bio, “ Call Her Miss R oss,” has hit the
nation’s bookstores, the superstar has clammed
up tight, saying through a spokesperson that
she has no intention of reading the book. In
fact, the book detailing her rise to super-
stardom, tells o f tempestuous affairs, m onu
mental temper tantrums and superstar idio-
syncrazies. According to the book, Ross left
former lover and M otown founder Berry
Gordy after being frustrated by endless af
fairs with white women and the fact that he
w ouldn’t marry her; once caught Michael
Jackson using her makeup to transform himself
into her likeness; hen-pecked her first hus
band; had affairs with Smokey Robinson,
Ryan O ’Neal and KISS lead Gene Simmons,
who dated C her (a friend) at the time. Tara
borelli says the book is really about ‘ ‘hypoc
risy, deception, and public relations.” Ironi
cally, the 33-year old author maintains he is
the ultimate Diana Ross fan. “ Anyone who
knows me and reads this book will still know
that I am a fan,” said Taraborelli. “ It’s just
one thing to be her fan and another to work
for her.”
N ights.
'The Eyes and Ears of the Community"
Office:
FAX #:
(503) 288-0033
(503) 288-0015
EDDIE MURPHY RICHARD PRYOR
They Ire up
to jometl
bij.
HARLEM
NI®
Youssou N'Dour
Y oussou’s worldwide success can be
attributed to a num ber o f factors--not the
least o f which is his incredible voice, a
soaring, celebratory instrum ent that touches
any audience, regardless o f the fact that
Youssou most often sings in his native lan
guage, W olof. That Youssou and the Super
Etoile de Dakar have alm ost singlehandedly
developed their own distinctive music sty le-
the bluesy, polyrhythm ic sound known as
“ m b alax "~ h as also brought attention their
way. O ne cannot discount the singer and his
band’s riveting live performances, e ith e r-
shows that have “ an overriding spirit of
exultation” as N ewsaday recently wrote.
In addition to working with Acogny and
David Sancious, Youssou also recorded one
so n g -” Shakin’ The Tree” -w ith Peter Gabriel
for ‘ ‘The L ion.” Gabriel has been a longtime
friend and supporter o f Y oussou’s. Youssou
sang on G abriel’s " S o ” album (the song " In
Your E y es"), and opened G abriel’s concerts
throughout the world during his " S o ” tour.
Also, Gabriel and N ’Dour were together
throughout last year's Amnesty International
“ Human Rights Now!” tour along with Bruce
Springsteen, Tracy Chapm an, and Sting.
“ When N 'D our broke into one of his
trademark w ails, the effect was simply
m agnificent,” wrote Rolling Stone of his
performance at W embley Stadium during
last year’s Amnesty International tour. With
"T h e Lion,” the magnificence co ntinues-
Y oussou’s is a roar that w ill be heard around
the world.
» p m w ! m t.- a s ! k - .
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H al W illiam s S ticks H is N eck O u t:
“ 227 ” co-star Hal W illiams says h e ’s a little
m iffed by the treatm ent the show received
from NBC on the recent occasion o f the
taping of their 100th episode. Usually, a
festive and cerem onius event in the life o f a
sitcom , W illiams reports that there was little
hoopla from their network. Fearing that NBC
could be near cancellation of the show,
W illiams is enlisting the support of friends
and viewers. If you want to show your sup
port for “ 227,” just drop a note to m e, c/0
Serra Syndication, P.O. Box 7274, Culver
City, CA 90233. I 'll see that they are passed
T odd B rid g e s-A c q u itte d : “ D iff’rent
Strokes' ’ star Todd Bridges was acquitted on
charges of attempted murder and voluntary
manslaughter in the shooting of a convicted
drug dealer. W hile the decision on a third
charge was pending (as of press), the w orst is
over for the 24-year old, form er child star,
whose story was one of despair, having been
addicted to crack cocaine, and losing his
fortune to the IRS, a forgery scam , and a
scarcity of acting jobs. Bridges (who had
once earned $40,000 per episode) is feeling
alot better these days, and according to his
fiance, Becky San Filipo, plans to lecture
children on the dangers o f drug abuse, once
everything is settled. Said Bridges attorney,
Johnny Cochran: “ What we’ve said all along
is that Todd, after going in the house, blacked
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